A UAE initiative will assess coders to ensure their computer programming skills match the demands of the market.
The Coders HQ, which was launched in January, will now test the best programmers to ensure their skills are suitable for global companies such as Emirates airline, LinkedIn and Majid Al Futtaim.
It will also help coders to expand their career prospects in programming, which has become one of the fastest-growing private sector industries.
“Each one of us is capable of learning the language [coding] and to develop a system,” said Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications at an event held at the Museum of the Future on Tuesday.
Each one of us is capable of learning the language [coding] and developing a system
Omar Sultan Al Olama
“But what is missing today is not knowing our level as we compare ourselves to the people around us, not knowing what our needs are when we move from one phase to another and not knowing what the relevant stages are to be among the highest level of programmers.
“Many people speak about their potential in coding but sometimes this is opposite to reality.”
Anyone wishing to be evaluated will be tested, with their skills graded for suitability for programming jobs in the private sector.
Training will be offered to ensure coding skills evolve with changes in technology.
Mr Al Olama said the UAE should become a regional centre for coding, with wider use of the Arabic language in technology, and hoped every public and private sector entity would have a ‘coding ambassador’ to encourage others to learn new skills.
A new partnership with Cisco will put Arabic at the centre of technology developed and launched in the region, he said.
“Evaluation will come first, followed by education. Later, we will give people a chance to implement their skills,” said Mr Al Olama.
“Our belief is that UAE must be the incubator of the future of the technology.
“We should not forget that the UAE, being an Arab country, a country in the Middle East and a major motivator for this technology, made us collaborate with Cisco for this initiative.”
The UAE Artificial Intelligence Office recently launched an AI and coding licence to attract technology companies and coders from around the world.
Coding school 42 Abu Dhabi - in pictures
In partnership with the Dubai International Financial Centre’s Innovation Hub, the project aims to increase the number of tech companies operating in the emirate.
Currently, more than 500 start-ups and tech groups are based at the DIFC hub.
At the launch of Coders HQ, Microsoft said it would host an OpenHack event to encourage people to work with the company on digital solutions and innovation.
OpenHack is a developer-focused event to teach talented coders to learn in challenge-based, real-world scenarios designed to mimic a developer’s journey inside Microsoft.
Participants work together in teams of five to complete challenges that increase in complexity as they progress.
“We strive for meaningful innovation at Microsoft, with products and services that improve lives and have the potential to change the world,” said Tamer Salah, AI country strategy lead for Microsoft.
“For decades, our researchers and engineers have pushed the boundaries of science and technology to inspire others to imagine, and help build a better future.
“With the support of the Ministry of AI, we are bringing back the OpenHack event to the UAE.
“It is a unique way to co-invent with Microsoft and empower local talents within the country to engage with our own experts and developers, to find real-world solutions that challenge through unique, immersive experiences.”
Currently, there are about 63,000 coders in the country, working in computer programming or preparing for a career in industries like FinTech or software development.
In January, the National Programme for Artificial Intelligence announced a series of measures to increase the number of qualified coders in the UAE to reach 100,000 by the end of 2022.
Coding initiatives to boost digital economy
Here are the initiatives that were announced at the event held on Monday:
Setting up an evaluation centre
The centre will classify the skill set of programmers and help them find jobs that best suit their expertise.
Coder HQ Ambassadors
The chosen 'ambassadors' will teach others how to programme, especially among university students. They will be based at Emirates Towers, to propose and implement projects. Candidates can apply at www.ai.gov.ae/chqambsd
Natural Language Processing Challenge
This initiative seeks to form specialised teams of Emiratis who are good at language processing. These teams will be responsible for educating university students who are ready for the job market and will help to create a future talent pool of programmers.
Tanzu Community
The Tanzu Community, launched in collaboration with VMWare, a leading provider of multi-cloud services for all apps, provides programmers with an opportunity to learn more about software technology. The community will hold monthly meetings with those interested with the objective of nurturing future talent.
“Open Hack” Hackathon
The joint project between Microsoft and Coders HQ aims to develop programming teams to work in the private sector, increasing competitiveness which will have a positive effect on the digital economy.
LinkedIn Statistics
This is designed to provide accurate statistics that reflect the current state of programmers in the UAE. With more than 63,000 programmers working across all sectors in the UAE, access to this objective data will improve the decision-making process.
Company%20profile
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Haircare resolutions 2021
From Beirut and Amman to London and now Dubai, hairstylist George Massoud has seen the same mistakes made by customers all over the world. In the chair or at-home hair care, here are the resolutions he wishes his customers would make for the year ahead.
1. 'I will seek consultation from professionals'
You may know what you want, but are you sure it’s going to suit you? Haircare professionals can tell you what will work best with your skin tone, hair texture and lifestyle.
2. 'I will tell my hairdresser when I’m not happy'
Massoud says it’s better to offer constructive criticism to work on in the future. Your hairdresser will learn, and you may discover how to communicate exactly what you want more effectively the next time.
3. ‘I will treat my hair better out of the chair’
Damage control is a big part of most hairstylists’ work right now, but it can be avoided. Steer clear of over-colouring at home, try and pursue one hair brand at a time and never, ever use a straightener on still drying hair, pleads Massoud.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
Moral education needed in a 'rapidly changing world'
Moral education lessons for young people is needed in a rapidly changing world, the head of the programme said.
Alanood Al Kaabi, head of programmes at the Education Affairs Office of the Crown Price Court - Abu Dhabi, said: "The Crown Price Court is fully behind this initiative and have already seen the curriculum succeed in empowering young people and providing them with the necessary tools to succeed in building the future of the nation at all levels.
"Moral education touches on every aspect and subject that children engage in.
"It is not just limited to science or maths but it is involved in all subjects and it is helping children to adapt to integral moral practises.
"The moral education programme has been designed to develop children holistically in a world being rapidly transformed by technology and globalisation."
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Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?
Some facts about bees:
The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer
The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days
A queen bee lives for 3-5 years
This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony
About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive
Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.
Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen
Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids
Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments
Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive, protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts
Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain
Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities
The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes
Is beekeeping dangerous?
As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.
“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”
The Indoor Cricket World Cup
When: September 16-23
Where: Insportz, Dubai
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
